With support from ProjectXYZ, volunteers and other contributors, Nexus plans to start construction soon on a 250-square-foot living space furnished with everything you would expect in a traditional home. For ProjectXYZ President Larry Lewis, the idea to build a tiny home with little carbon footprint was a no-brainer.

"We have a focus on energy from a business standpoint," Lewis said. "We have a 30-kilowatt solar farm down in the town of Triana, so when we saw Nexus Energy doing this project, we thought it would be a perfect way to promote ourselves and promote clean energy for the city itself."

Nexus will use the home to educate students, businesses and contractors about energy conservation, efficiency and renewable energy strategies and technologies. The structure will feature energy-saving materials and clean energy technologies.

Nexus, which hopes to motivate more Alabamians to think about upgrading their homes, wants to educate in the same way the nonprofit's AlabamaWISE community energy program is helping families learn about home performance.

"We want this tiny home to be mobile so it can be an educational tool for the community," said Ruchi Singhal, executive director of Nexus. "I don't want it to just be parked or completely built on the ground here at Nexus. I want it to be on wheels so we can take it around places."

ProjectXYZ is assisting Nexus with finding a location to build the tiny home and with labor and design work. Nexus is also working with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) of Alabama, Calhoun Community College, Huntsville Open Tech Coffee and Home Depot to gather materials and secure volunteers to build the TRES Project concept.

The tiny home should be ready to unveil at the second-annual Lucky Duck Days event Oct. 18-19 on 108 Cleveland Ave.

Nexus Energy Center's mission is to build smart energy communities through education, conservation, efficiency and renewables. The nonprofit's programs have helped upgrade more than 1,600 Alabama homes and saved $1 million in energy costs.